In examining the deeply ingrained racism against Black people in America, I found myself asking, is fashion racist? In short, yes. If it intersects and engages with history, with the determining of what is “in style” and who’s voices are amplified, then yes. It is, by its sole existence, racist. This is a three-part series examining racism in fashion. It is not meant to be an exhaustive list, but as a starting point to question everything around us. Every industry we are a part of, every article of clothing we put on our bodies each day is a choice, but it no longer need be an ignorant one. As a warning, I will be addressing slavery, rape, and other forms of violence in this series. Take care of yourself as needed.

Is the Morality of Modesty and the Ideal Body Shape in Fashion, Racist?

According to the BBC, between the 16^th and 20^th centuries, an estimated 11.6 million enslaved people were forcibly taken from the continent of Africa in route for the Americas. During middle passage in American-bound ships, they were not afforded clothing because slavers were fearful that clothing would be utilized as makeshift nooses. Upon arrival to the US, white people were able to deem Black people as “less than”, immoral, and immodest according to European Christian attitudes of modesty, because the enslaved were unable to clothe themselves (despite their clothing being forcibly removed). They were examined, stark naked, at auction blocks and stood in massive contrast to the clothed westerner- particularly in contrast to the white western woman, who was covered from neck to ankle as the fashion of the time.

Women were held to even stricter and less attainable standards. Enslaved women were depended on to produce children who would also be enslaved, and those who produced surviving infants were traded at higher rates and were given tokens like a new dress or a day off of work. Their pregnancies were discussed by white people as dinner table fodder, as they were outward evidence of sexual activity. This encouraged and continued the stereotype that they were promiscuous, despite the fact that pregnancies were often attributed to rape. Not so oddly enough, no white man was ever convicted of raping a Black woman in the South until the 1960’s- despite Black men being lynched for much less (like Emmett Till who was killed at 14 years old, after a white woman fabricated a story wherein he made a pass at her- his killers were found “not guilty”). These attitudes were so pervasive that they can be linked to the “welfare queen” trope presented by Ronald Reagan in the 1970’s. It depicts a woman having multiple children so she can live frivolously off of the state. Black people were rewarded with tools to aid in their survival when producing children, but demonized socially.

Black people are still routinely hyper-sexualized. Take for example, Lizzo’s constant barrage of critique when twerking or wearing revealing clothing, while her slim, white counterparts are not. If Black people have not been hyper-sexualized, then they have been de-sexualized using a “mammy” troupe, which was used to romanticize slavery. The mammy troupe depicts Black women as old, ugly, fat, and smiling- as if enjoying her role in the home. This was perpetuated in media with figures like “Aunt Jemima”, who originated as a minstrel character played by a white person in blackface, and still exists on grocery store shelves today (even Disney has distanced themselves from the character who, until the 1970’s, was available for photo ops in the Disneyland park).

When linking these histories to the body positive space, it’s impossible to divorce race from body shape. Models like Ashley Graham who are “thick” and have hourglass curves are white or white passing. They are often amplified by mainstream media outlets and offered more brand sponsorships than their black counterparts, who created the body positive movement. Even the term “body positive” has now been appropriated by white and straight-sized creators, and Black originators in the movement like Stephanie Yeboah is utilizing the term “fat acceptance” instead. The need for body positive and fat acceptance spaces was born out of the demonization of fat Black bodies

Attitudes in heterosexual, white, Christian society uphold modesty and thinness as an ideal, but who determines what ideal entails? A Black woman in a short skirt, or a low-cut top in the street might illicit a slut-shaming remark because of these deeply entrenched, racist and self-righteous ideas of morality. All the while, a celebrated white designer puts a scantily-clad white woman on a runway, and she is photographed and glamourized in Fashion Week Daily. We can combat these attitudes within ourselves, if first we know the historical and ugly origins they come from. Is the concept of modesty and the ideal body shape in modern fashion, racist? You tell me.

Coming Up in Part 2: Is Cultural Appropriation in Fashion Racist?